This invention relates to a folding chair backpack, specifically to a carrier with shoulder straps that allows folded chairs, or other similar flat objects, as well as long slender objects such as fishing poles or sun umbrellas, to be transported like a backpack with the weight being supported by the shoulders and in contact with the back.
Many people prefer to sit in chairs rather than on the ground when sunning at the beach, listening to a concert in the park, talking to others at a picnic, fishing on a lake shore, or doing other outdoor activities that involve sitting. To this end, they will carry their chair(s) from their car to the desired location, often walking many blocks to their destination and frequently negotiating stairs along the way. Also, on hot sunny days, many people will either carry by hand or wish they could carry a sun umbrella to provide shade at the location they desire to sit.
Prior methods for carrying folding chairs to a beach, an open air concert, a picnic, a lake shore, or elsewhere, has been by hand. This can be awkward, especially when the chair drags along the ground while the arm supporting the chair is fully extended, or when trying to carry two or more chairs with one hand. A chair can be carried under the arm only if the arm is long enough and when multiple chairs are carried in this fashion, they must be balanced or the chairs can lean in different directions, forward and aft, and fall out from under the arm. Carrying additional objects, such as snorkels and fins, picnic supplies, fishing poles, or sun umbrellas adds to the difficulty and awkwardness. Besides being awkward, carrying a chair or multiple chairs, fishing poles, and/or sun umbrellas requires the use of at least one hand, maybe both. The use of the hand or hands could be used for other purposes such as carrying other objects like a cooler, holding someone's hand like an infant's or holding onto a handrail for balance and safety.
Many designs for backpacks exist but none can accommodate generic folding chairs and slender objects like fishing poles or sun umbrellas. The Backpack Chair disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,345 is a single folding chair that is an integral part of the backpack frame. This does not allow for the transport of existing generic foldable lawn or beach chairs. The military coat carrier disclosed in British Pat. No. 5076 could not accommodate long slender objects for they would slip through the bottom from lack of support. Lateral stability of the load depends on friction with the vertical straps because of the lack of any attachment of the horizontal strap with the vertical straps in the back. This lateral stability can be crucial when hoisting the load from the ground onto one's back. Also shoulder attachments would be required of a person trying to carry the apparatus.
The rucksack disclosed in German Pat. No. 162448 suffers from the same lack of lateral instability due to the absence of any attachments of the horizontal straps with the vertical straps in the back.
The game carrier disclosed in German Pat. No. 276083 has no horizontal adjustable means.
Therefore, most people who carry folding chairs and fishing poles or sun umbrellas for more than a very short distance would find it desirable to have a means of transporting these chairs easily and not require the use of their hands while transporting them.